Minister promises more support for renewable energies

After funding for solar energy was reduced in 2012, Economy Minister Etienne Schneider promised more financial support for wind and geo-thermal energy as well as biogas at the Enovos Future Summit on Thursday.

01.02.2013

(CS/vb) After funding for solar energy was reduced in 2012, Economy Minister Etienne Schneider promised more financial support for wind and geo-thermal energy as well as biogas at the Enovos Future Summit on Thursday.

The minister said that he was confident about progress in the green housing sector, with so-called energy-positive buildings set to become the norm for new constructions by 2018. Schneider said that this would be a big step forward, as buildings make-up around 40 percent of the country's energy consumption.

However, the minister also said that Luxembourg was still far off its own goals. By 2020 some 11 percent of the energy consumed across the Grand Duchy should come from renewable sources. Currently, this number stands at just three percent.

Energy companies, too, will have to tackle these changes and ensure that their green energy supply is available and reliable.

Households are also expected to make changes. Network operator Creos will replace common energy meters with so-called Smart Meters starting 2015, aimed at reducing energy consumption by giving households a clearer idea of what they use electricity on. The conversion should be completed by 2018.